


Something Unreal

by In_Dee



Series: Taggert 'Verse [2]
Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:56:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_Dee/pseuds/In_Dee
Summary: He hadn’t been to Luc’s place before, actually wasn’t completely convinced about where this was going with the other man yet.
Relationships: G Callen/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Taggert 'Verse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808557
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	Something Unreal

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the (close) second in the little 'poll' I asked you to vote in back then. It's also the second story that features Luc (who was introduced in Groundwork) and focuses on the relationship developing between Callen and Luc.  
> This 'verse is growing more Hydra-heads than I have originally imagined. So this is not the last you'll see of Luc.  
> Hope you'll enjoy :)

Callen parked the car and glanced around, taking in the neighborhood. Several kids were playing further up the street, a woman jogged past his car with a dog following closely, bounding in big leaps, ears flapping and tongue lolling. It was a quiet residential area with small bungalows, painted white with slanted stucco roofs. While not terribly wealthy, the neighborhood was well cared for and reasonably well off.

He hadn’t been to Luc’s place before, actually wasn’t completely convinced about where this was going with the other man yet. They’d spent some time together, having lunch or dinner together and enjoying each other’s company.

There’d also been the physical side of things when they both started lowering their protective guards. So far, their encounters hadn’t been at either of their places though. They had met up for dinner or some time spent outside while they got to know each other. A few of their more physical encounters were spent in a hotel room, but they hadn’t progressed to taking the other home. In a way, it probably seemed seedy to meet up in a hotel, but it had been somewhat practical when they’d met up somewhere half way between Los Angeles and Coronado where Luc was stationed.

On top of convenience, there was Callen’s tendency not to let anyone into his sanctuary. His address was known to few people and he wasn’t sure yet whether or not Luc would be added to that list. He wasn’t certain if it was the same reasoning for Luc but until today, neither of them had made a move to invite the other into their home.

So when Luc had texted him earlier and changed their dinner plans to ‘ _my place. Bring a six-pack_ ’ with an address tagged on, he had arched an eyebrow. And in the privacy of his mind, Callen admitted to a pulse of adrenaline and nerves, knowing they were entering a new stage of whatever this was.

Blowing out a breath, he reached for the six-pack and got out of the car, approaching the wooden gate and finding it unlocked. Stepping into the small front yard, he let his gaze wander. He smirked at the well worn sneakers left next to the front door. Luc was a runner and a swimmer and he was more than steadfast in keeping to his fitness regime - fitting to a dedicated elite soldier. The rest of the yard was well tended to, which came as a surprise considering Luc spent little time here even if he wasn’t deployed. Heading on to the front door, he rapped his fingers against the wood, not giving himself any more time to question the wisdom or rightness of this ‘thing’ that was developing. Callen waited, listening to the faint steps coming closer before the door opened.

He blinked in surprise before he arched an eyebrow. “You ok?” Callen asked with a nod towards Luc’s hand that was holding a cool pack against his left eye.

The other man rolled his eyes - well he rolled the one that Callen could see, the other still hidden behind the ice pack. “Training accident,” was the curt and somewhat sourly reply he received upon his question.

“You forgot to duck, soldier?” As a Navy SEAL Luc was basically always training. If he wasn’t deployed, he was stationed at Coronado, one of the SEALs headquarters, but even when he was stateside, he was more often than not somewhere other than ‘home’. There were trainings, work-ups, pre-deployment exercises and specialized training. It made synching their schedules and meeting each other difficult - something that would bug most people, but admittedly felt more than alright to Callen.

Luc grunted, “something like that.” He stepped back from the door and beckoned Callen inside.

Following Luc into his apartment, Callen glanced around curiously. As an agent, he was trained to take in small details and pick up information about a person. What he saw fit the man living inside very well; the apartment was neat and structured as befitting for a military man, but there were knickknacks on the shelves or in corners of the room that described Luc down to a ‘t’. He was a dedicated and headstrong individual, but he also had lots of quirks and a sense humor and quick wit that mellowed the tough exterior.

Having met Luc while he was being rescued from captivity by Luc’s team together with his own NCIS team, he hadn’t exactly been in good shape, but he’d found the other man’s character quite intriguing even back then. When Luc had called a few months later after he’d returned from his deployment, Callen had actually looked forward to meeting him and getting to know him, even though it had been a bit of a surprise to hear from him.

It had just been a few weeks since then and they’d met a little over half a dozen times, but Callen felt comfortable with the other man.

Shaking himself free from his internal musings, he put the six-pack down on the counter and freed two bottles before he turned back to Luc. Luc took one of the offered bottles before motioning Callen over to the living room area. A couch was stretched out along the wall, facing a TV set up, and an easy chair stood at an angle.

“So, what happened?” Callen asked again, gesturing to the icepack while sinking down in the easy chair.

Luc stretched out on the couch. “We had a close combat training with an outside contractor. I may have pissed off the Captain previously: he volunteered me for demonstrations,” he replied, turning the ice pack over and pressing the other side against his eye once more.

“It didn’t go so well I take it?” Callen asked with a barely concealed grin, taking a sip from his beer.

Luc shrugged somewhat easily. “Some damn wiry, short and fast Nepalese guy,” he paused briefly before grinning as well, “you didn’t hear it from me, but the guy mopped the floor with me.”

Callen laughed. This was just one of the things he enjoyed about Luc. Despite being a professional, despite being competitive and despite having a healthy dose of pride, he didn’t always take himself seriously. He dished out but he was also often the butt of his team mate’s jokes… and sometimes of his own ones.

“Hang on,” Callen caught on a moment later, “Nepalese guy? You had a Gurkha training with you?”

Luc let the ice pack sink and focused both of his eyes on Callen - one of which was developing a nice swelling. “Yeah, why? You had a run in with a Gurkha?” he asked.

Callen smirked, raising the bottle back to his lips and taking a sip, “once or twice.”

“Just where the hell did you stumble upon a Gurkha?”

“Believe it or not, in downtown L.A.,” Callen replied easily.

Luc tilted his head to the side, putting the ice pack back against his face, “why do I feel like there’s a story in there?”

“Sorry, national security,” Callen shrugged with a grin, remembering snippets of the incidents with Thapa.

Luc laughed softly. “Now I’m _sure_ there’s a story or two there.” He pointed a finger at him, “I’ll try to get it out of you.”

“You can try, but I’ve withstood torture before, you know?” he gave back smoothly.

A shadow darted over Luc’s expression and he stilled briefly. Callen sighed and shook his head, “you don’t get to dwell on it,” he admonished, knowing where Luc’s mind had led him, “I don’t dwell on it, so you don’t get to do that either,” he told the other calmly but with enough determination and steel in his voice that Luc briefly looked away from him before nodding. Callen smiled. “Good. Now what are we going to do with the rest of the day?”

Xxxxxxx

They spent the afternoon talking and laughing easily with each other. Again, Callen found he enjoyed the other man’s presence, felt himself relax in it. He didn’t usually relax around people. With his team he had learned over years and years to lower his guard. Still, he retained some instinctual attentiveness. With Sam and his family, Callen got closest to relaxing completely, but even then, it was often hard fought for. Being almost completely relaxed around someone he had known only for a short while was astonishing and in a way, it put Callen on edge as much as it relaxed and fascinated him.

The fact that Luc knew what his job entailed, being an undercover specialist for a government agency, was a relief since he didn’t have to slip into a legend while he was with the other man. In pretty much all of his ‘relationships’ it had been necessary to keep his partner in the dark about who he was and while it wasn’t hard to do for Callen - sometimes he wondered if it wasn’t actually too _easy_ to do it - it still got tiresome.

With Luc, he didn’t have to pretend. The other man knew who he was and what he was doing and Luc’s security clearance even allowed for some wiggle room in trading stories with each other which also helped getting to know each other better.

Neither man felt the desire to go out for dinner. Callen was somewhat certain that Luc didn’t want to go out with a shiner developing. While the other man was casual about a lot of things, he was in some ways vein. It was just another quirk that Callen found amusing.

Since going out was out of the question, they ordered some delivery and soon, they were set up on the couch together, their attention shared between food, a basketball game and conversation.

Callen glanced up when Luc suddenly fell silent midsentence. His eyes locked with the other man and he could see Luc’s eyes had darkened, his focus had changed. Hunger was blatantly visible in his eyes, but it wasn’t hunger for food. Callen tilted his head to the side, replaying the last several moments in his head. He smirked, having a good idea what had prompted the change. Holding Luc’s eyes, he raised his hand once more and provocatively licked his fingers free of any crumbs left.

Putting his own slice of pizza down, Luc blew out a breath before he reached for Callen and drew him closer, smashing their mouths together.

Callen came easily, not putting up any resistance. He laughed into the kiss, parting his lips and deepening the contact.

Luc sighed into the kiss, the intensity of his initial attack shifting into a more sedate pace.

Food forgotten, Callen’s hands slipped between their bodies and started tugging on the other man’s shirt. Once he pulled it loose, his hand slid beneath the fabric of the garment, quickly finding skin.

Moments later, Luc’s fingers found his own patch of skin and Callen allowed his eyes to close, enjoying the sensation of fingertips sliding over his body, finding sensitive and previously discovered spots, lingering only briefly before moving on.

Withdrawing his hands from beneath Luc’s shirt and his lips from Luc’s mouth, he tugged the other man’s shirt off before he leaned forward and nudged Luc into lying down. Straddling his waist, Callen leaned down and once more allowed their lips to tangle before he shifted his attention away from Luc’s lips and down the side of his neck, scraping his teeth over the pulse point. A soft moan escaped Luc and he tilted his head to the side, giving Callen more room. Callen hummed appreciatively against Luc’s skin in response. The shudder that ran through Luc’s body was gratifying. Callen gently flicked his tongue over the pulse in Luc’s neck, feeling it flutter under his attention.

Luc remained somewhat passive beneath him, his breathing erratic, his head tilted to the side so that his throat was wide open to Callen’s desire. His hands though were far from being idle though. While Luc was shirtless, Callen’s button-down was now open and fell around his torso. Luc’s fingers were busy exploring the skin that had been uncovered.

Keeping himself perched above Luc, Callen shifted his weight back a little, giving himself more room. One hand buried itself in Luc’s hair, keeping his head tilted back as he nosed the skin of his neck, drifting over the chain that held his dog tags before slowly moving lower, his lips trailing down the valley of his throat to his chest. His free hand roamed further, slowly wandering down Luc’s side as he followed the ridges of his muscles, muscles that were shifting and quivering beneath his fingers.

Callen jerked up when the Luc suddenly stilled with a hiss beneath him, the body tensing before holding himself still. Glancing at the other man, gauging his reaction, Callen saw the fleeting shadow of pain leave his expression. He frowned before glancing down to where his hand rested against Luc’s ribs.

Sitting up, he took in the sight, the developing bruises that he hadn’t noticed before, too caught up in the moment of desire.

Luc reached up and tried to draw him back in but Callen resisted, his eyes narrowed while he catalogued the fresh bruises. That must have been one hell of a training session.

Luc let him look his fill before speaking, “stop treating me like I’m made of glass.” The words were somewhere between annoyed and angry. As a SEAL, Callen was certain that the other man had faced worse things than a collection of bruises - he had discovered scars on Luc’s body that proved it.

The bruising certainly wasn’t serious, but it would be uncomfortable. Still, he could understand the other man not wanting to draw too much attention to it. He knew he would do something similar.

Callen glanced at the other man and arched an eyebrow before he rolled his eyes. “Well, what should I do instead? Hit you to add to that collection?” He nodded his head towards the bruises, his voice carrying a hint of mirth and sarcasm.

Luc stretched up and despite being in the supposedly weaker position beneath Callen, the other man still got in his face easily. “You try and I’ll put a matching shiner in your face,” he threatened softly.

A laugh bubbled up. Callen leaned closer to the other man, their faces inches apart. “A few weeks into seeing each other and already we’re threatening the other with physical violence. Interesting approach,” he murmured.

The comment forced a laugh out of Luc and the other man let himself fall back down into the couch. He reached up and brushed his fingers against Callen’s cheek and over his lips before sliding his hand behind his head and drawing him down. “Match made in heaven,” he smirked before sealing their lips together. The kiss was languid and easy; the heated desire from before had been broken and instead banked into something slower.

It didn’t take a genius to understand that Luc didn’t want to stop what they had started. He had initiated this renewed contact and had explicitly warned Callen about treating him like he couldn’t handle himself. Callen could understand that notion, knowing he wouldn’t behave much differently if their roles were reversed. It didn’t mean he couldn’t pay closer attention though. Having taken a moment to catalogue the bruises would help evading them.

Callen kept his weight a bit more carefully balanced and his touches a tad lighter when he allowed his hand to start moving again on Luc’s torso. He knew Luc felt it, could also feel the other man’s hackles rising.

Callen drew back slightly and met Luc’s glare head on. “Taking care not to hurt you isn’t treating you like you’re made of glass,” he said firmly before Luc could voice his thoughts and leaving no room for discussion, “I know you can handle a few bruises, but there’s no reason for stubborn macho bullshit,” he told the other man, throwing his own words from months ago back in his face.

Luc’s expression morphed into stumped disbelief. “Did you just…?”

Callen nodded, “oh, yeah, I did. I may have been mostly out of it during our first meeting, but I do still remember you calling me out on being an idiot. Even if you were more talking to yourself than to me.”

Luc pursed his lips but Callen could see the mirth rising in his eyes. Laughter quickly followed and eventually, Luc nodded. “Alright.”

Callen returned the nod and leaned down, once more initiating a kiss.

Xxxxxxx

Luc was dozing against his side and Callen internally debated what to do. They hadn’t spent a whole night together yet. Things hadn’t progressed that far and he wasn’t sure if tonight would go that way. He did have his go-bag in the car, but that wasn’t for any other reason than him _always_ having a go-bag in the car.

Callen sighed to himself, listening to Luc’s even breathing. They were still on the couch, hadn’t progressed from there as the couch was wider than it looked and they could stretch out comfortably together. Luc was on his back which would probably be easier because of the bruises marring his torso - while Callen was on his side, wedged against the back of the couch with Luc stretched out in front of him. It should feel restrictive. Instead it felt cozy and comfortable to him.

They both jerked up when the silence in the room was broken by a cell phone. Luc was half way up already when he obviously noticed this wasn’t a marching order. Callen chuckled to himself before climbing over the other man and getting up to check his phone… since it was his phone that was ringing.

Glancing at the caller ID and noting the time, he sighed. This call most certainly meant that any thoughts on spending the night or not spending the night were futile.

“Hey Callen. Sorry to call you in, but we have a dead Navy intelligence officer that can’t wait. The body was found an hour ago and first signs indicate that he was tortured,” Eric spoke up.

“Alright. Send me the address,” Callen replied evenly, already beginning to look for his clothes.

“No need. Sam’s already on his way to pick you up,” Eric reported.

Callen closed his eyes, swallowing the urge to groan. “Tell him not to bother. I’m not home.”

There was a beat of silence, “you’re not home,” Eric repeated, hesitation and surprise in his voice, and Callen rolled his eyes.

“No, Eric, I’m not home,” he repeated, “contrary to what you all might think, I’m not a hermit crab and I do leave my house sometimes.”

Callen shot Luc a look when the other man snickered quietly behind him.

“Yeah, no… I didn’t mean… I mean…” Eric fumbled and Callen smirked. It was always easiest to throw Eric off of a trail. Get the man fumbling and flustered and he would either dig himself a deeper grave or drop the hot coal in his hands. It was a tactic that always worked like a charm.

“Send the address to my phone. It’ll take me a while to get there though. Have the others contact me if they find anything before I get there,” Callen ordered and then terminated the connection.

A moment later, Luc approached him from behind. Callen allowed himself a second to lean into the firm body behind him, enjoying the contact, before he regretfully drew away. “Sorry,” he murmured, turning around.

Luc took a step back to give them both some room. He gave an easy shrug, his expression uncaring, “better luck next time,” he grinned, watching Callen as he started getting dressed.

Once clothed, Callen straightened and hesitated for a brief moment. He then stepped closer to Luc and reached out. Tangling his fingers in the chain that held the other man’s dog tags, he lightly tugged him closer. Luc responded easily, his hand falling against the back of Callen’s neck and meeting him for a kiss. “Go, save the Nation,” he smirked, dropping another kiss against Callen’s lips. “Stay safe.”

Callen moved in for another brief kiss before he eased out of the contact and stepped away. “Of course,” he grinned before giving Luc a mock salute and stepping away.

He felt Luc’s eyes on his back while he walked to the door, catching another brief glance of his lover when he left the house and closed the door behind him.

There was something about this man that drew him closer, made him come back for more and enjoy himself. Now was not the time to dwell on that though.

Shaking his head, Callen slid into his car and gunned the engine, dragging his mind away from Luc and onto what lay ahead.


End file.
